2022 Final – Argentina vs France

Lore & Background

Argentina had previously won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986. They had finished as runners-up in 1930, 1990 and 2014. France were the defending champions from the 2018 World Cup, which made this the first time since the 2002 final that a team had made consecutive appearances in the final, and the first time since 1998 that the title holders qualified for the subsequent final—both feats were achieved by Brazil. France had also previously won the World Cup in 1998. France also reached the 2006 final, but lost to Italy in a penalty shoot-out.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Lusail hummed with a frequency you could feel in your sternum. The pitch was a sheet of green so vivid it looked painted, the air dry and warm even at that hour. In the Argentina tunnel, the silence was absolute—no chanting, no clapping. Just the soft thud of boots on concrete and the distant roar of ninety thousand voices muffled by concrete and steel. Messi pressed his forehead against the cold wall for a moment, eyes closed, breathing in the smell of grass and sweat that had followed him since he was twelve in Rosario. Then he turned, looked at Di María, and said nothing. Di María nodded. They walked out together into the light, and the stadium detonated. The ball was kicked into the air, and for the next 120 minutes, time itself seemed to fold and stretch, bending around the feet of two men who refused to let the night belong to the other.

Reader's Guide

The final took place in front of 88,966 spectators and was refereed by Szymon Marciniak. Argentina took a 1–0 lead after Lionel Messi scored from a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. Ángel Di María made it 2–0 in the 36th minute. Kylian Mbappé scored two goals within 97 seconds, making the score 2–2 in the 81st minute. During extra time, Messi scored again to give Argentina a 3–2 lead. Mbappé scored a second penalty to tie the game 3–3. Argentina won the penalty shoot-out 4–2.

Did You Know?

• It was the second time that Argentina reached the World Cup final after losing their opening match, the other occasion being in 1990.
• It was the second time that a team won the tournament after losing their opening match, following Spain in 2010.
• France became the first team in history to score three goals in a World Cup final and lose.
• Messi became the first player to win a second World Cup Golden Ball, having previously won it in 2014.
• Mbappé became the second male player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final after Geoff Hurst in 1966.